Birth Parents Using Facebook To Track Down Adopted Children

Facebook is yet again under attack for its security measures, after it was discovered birth parents are using the social networking site to track down their children.

Natural parents are getting around the rules and regulations of adoption by using Facebook to get in contact with their children, who may not even be aware that they're adopted. This can lead to some distress and emotional issues for the kids and adoptive parents in question.

The current standards allow the natural parents to leave a package of letters and photos each year for the child with the social worker or adoptive agency, and the adoptive parents also use these intermediaries to get in contact with the natural parents.Facebook, and various other social networking sites, bypass this by giving parents and children the chance to get in contact, regardless of how welcome that contact is.

Whilst it's understandable why some natural parents might want to get in contact, the rules are there to protect the welfare of the child. Many children now are adopted after it becomes clear that their family life is abusive and neglectful, and their new life could be destroyed by the uninvited contact.

According to a recent Channel 4 documentary, many natural parents purely use the site to keep track of their children, choosing not to get in contact.

Facebook is now expected to introduce changes to the privacy settings, including a master control to simplify users' pirvacy settings.

Do you think natural parents have a right to contact their children through social networking sites?